of the night in some way increased my mental agitation. The sky was lighted almost tropically with such a blaze of stars as I could not recall to have seen since, my futile search concluded, I had left Egypt

lowed. The path which Eltham had pursued terminated almost opposite to my house. One's gaze might follow it, white and emp

ide by side we ran on, whil

. "They meant no doubt to make some attempt at your ho

y companion slowed dow

st see Eltham?" h

ghtly to the right, and pointed

" I said. "There's a path to the left of it. I took that pat

the edge of the water and p

d, and he turned to me again, frowning perplexedly, and tugging at the lobe of his left

ked. "It may be a

e was tensed up nervously, and his mood

ngst the trees,

alke

, Petrie;

he thing was appalling. How little those weary toilers, hemmed about with the commonplace, suspected that almost within sight from the

and fully ten yards from the first of the group, we two, hatless

was rolling on its way again. We stood and listened until silence reclaimed the night. Not a footstep

ray of light pierced the shadows; my companion carried an

open paths were dry again, under the trees the ground was still moist. Ten yards within the cop

rom left and right. There was a confused patch, trailing off to the west; then thi

earching like hounds for a scent, and fearful of what we might find. We found nothing;

om left to right, taking in the entire visible expanse of the common. Towards a p

e!" he cried. "

the shock of surprise, I followed him, but he was well ahead of me, and ma

sprint. We were twenty yards from the road when the sound of a starting motor broke the silence

dizzily ag

ed. "Just God! are we to stand h

rank was no great distance away, but, excluding the possibility of no cab bei

g in an opposite direction, appeared the headlamp of another car, of a car that raced nearer and nearer to us,

nd stood, a weird silhouette, with

early ran into me. But, the breathless moment past, the car was pulled up, head on to the railings; and a man in eve

d a letter from his pocket and thrust it into the hands of the bewildered man.

tten all over him,

is carte blanche. I wish to commandeer you

returned t

nding. "My man will take your orders.

t wait to learn

chauffeur. "You passed a car a minu

r, if I don't

in, pulling

are no speed limits for me

r swung around and

standing alone by the roadside, and at ever-increasin

ordinary conversation, but he t

me mandarin up-country. Knew that. Came straight to you. Only got in this evening. He-Fu-Manchu-has been sent here to get Eltham. My God! and h

the chauffeur leapt to the road and ran ahead. Smith was out in a

s eyes bright with the lust of the c

were of

ate waste lots slipped behind and we were in a narrow way where gates o

ad. "His rathole is by the river as usual. Hi!

, too, had seen our quarry-a long, low-bodied car, showing no inside lights. It had

out, and I f

chauffeur. "Run back to that last turning," he ordered, "and wait t

tion the order. As he began to back away, Smi

said, "and see where the car st